Business Intelligence (BI) analysts solve problems. It is their job to analyze data, through software, tools and their own coding, to determine how a business can improve operations, sell and grow more effectively, and anticipate potential challenges. Because of the immense impact their work can have on an organization and the fact that their skills are highly specialized and hard to find, BI analysts tend to earn a lot of money.
Whether you’re already in the industry or exploring your options, we’ll explain common salaries for this role based on where you live and why it’s crucial to consider the cost of living before you accept an offer.
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How much do business intelligence analysts earn?
In the United States, business intelligence analysts earn an average of $99,306 per year, according to the job search platform. Glass door.
The state with the highest salary for this position, Glassdoor reports, is California, where business intelligence analysts there take home an average of $107,052 per year. New York ($105,549), Washington ($104,098), New Jersey ($102,505) and Texas ($101,952) make the top five. Meanwhile, the states with the lowest BI analyst salaries are North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, District of Columbia, and New Mexico.
It’s important to note that the base salaries provided by Glassdoor do not include additional compensation such as bonuses or stock. According to Jody Thelandercompensation consultant with decades of experience analyzing corporate salary trends, median analyst bonuses hover around $5,000 per year.
Also keep in mind that your income may be higher or lower than your state’s range for a number of reasons, such as your experience or background or the type of company you are applying to. Startups, for example, have lower recruiting budgets than tech behemoths. salary negotiation conversations.
Not to mention, supply and demand can decide where a role falls in terms of compensation. Thelander’s data shows that total cash compensation for analyst roles has declined since 2022, which she attributes to being stronger. employer market today than two years ago.
Business Intelligence versus Business Analytics: what is the difference?
Economic intelligence and business analysis swing in tandem a lot – and for good reason. Both require some comfort and knowledge of data and databases and typically involve people with a background in computer science, statistics, or mathematics.
However, one way to distinguish the two is to know what their purposes are: on his blog, Harvard’s Business Analytics program states that business analysts focus on predicting future outcomes, while BI analysts focus more on solving the problem here and now. Since each objective is crucial to an organization’s success, it is not uncommon to see a technical team hire and invest in both types of experts. The size and age of a company also influence whether it maintains a business analysis or business intelligence branch.
Cost of life
Your purchasing power depends on where you live. The cost of living is also one of the reasons why salaries are higher in some states than others.
California, New York, and Washington have some of the highest cost of living indices (how the cost of living is measured relative to the country’s average) as well as the highest salaries for business intelligence analysts.
Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. Take Texas: the state’s cost of living is lower than that of the United States, but it remains the fifth state in terms of revenue for BI analysts. In other places like North Carolina or Georgia, you can earn a significant salary while paying less for things like food, transportation, or housing compared to the rest of the country.
Business Intelligence Analyst Salary by State
The following salary information for business intelligence analysts is based on data collected by Glassdoor, which is self-reported by users. That of each state cost of living index » comes from the latest report from the Council for Community and Economic Research, cited by the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center.
Rank | Location | Avg. business intelligence analyst salary (as of May 2024) | Cost of living index |
---|---|---|---|
1 | California | $107,052 | 138.5 |
2 | new York | $105,549 | 125.9 |
3 | Washington | $104,098 | 116.0 |
4 | New Jersey | $102,505 | 113.9 |
5 | Texas | $101,952 | 92.7 |
6 | North Carolina | $101,778 | 95.3 |
7 | Connecticut | $100,416 | 112.8 |
8 | Colorado | $99,092 | 105.1 |
9 | Massachusetts | $98,522 | 146.5 |
ten | Virginia | $96,393 | 101.9 |
11 | Maryland | $95,450 | 116.5 |
12 | Georgia | $94,678 | 90.8 |
13 | Pennsylvania | $94,018 | 95.6 |
14 | Alabama | $93,792 | 88.3 |
15 | Illinois | $93,687 | 92.1 |
16 | Rhode Island | $93,149 | 110.7 |
17 | Missouri | $92,909 | 88.5 |
18 | Louisiana | $92,828 | 91.0 |
19 | Delaware | $92,542 | 101.1 |
20 | Nevada | $92,423 | 101.0 |
21 | Wisconsin | $92,289 | 95.1 |
22 | Oregon | $92,232 | 114.7 |
23 | Tennessee | $91,801 | 90.3 |
24 | Caroline from the south | $91,757 | 95.3 |
25 | Minnesota | $90,740 | 94.1 |
26 | Michigan | $89,299 | 90.6 |
27 | Arizona | $88,757 | 108.4 |
28 | New Hampshire | $87,419 | 114.1 |
29 | Mississippi | $87,352 | 86.3 |
30 | Alaska | $86,718 | 125.2 |
31 | Utah | $86,599 | 103.2 |
32 | Wyoming | $86,264 | 92.4 |
33 | Indiana | $85,430 | 91.0 |
34 | Arkansas | $85,041 | 89.0 |
35 | Oklahoma | $84,708 | 86.2 |
36 | Ohio | $84,576 | 94.7 |
37 | Nebraska | $83,903 | 90.9 |
38 | Florida | $82,647 | 100.7 |
39 | Iowa | $82,390 | 90.3 |
40 | Idaho | $82,192 | 98.6 |
41 | Maine | $82,143 | 109.9 |
42 | Kentucky | $81,213 | 92.0 |
43 | West Virginia | $80,225 | 87.7 |
44 | Hawaii | $80,216 | 180.3 |
45 | Kansas | $79,730 | 87.1 |
46 | Montana | $79,221 | 102.9 |
47 | North Dakota | $78,936 | 94.6 |
48 | South Dakota | $78,714 | 92.4 |
49 | Vermont | $78,546 | 115.3 |
50 | Washington, D.C. | $75,870 | 146.8 |
51 | New Mexico | $72,922 | 94.0 |
Business Intelligence Analyst Salary (as of May 2024) | |||
---|---|---|---|
1 | |||
California | |||
$107,052 | |||
138.5 | |||
2 | |||
new York | |||
$105,549 | |||
125.9 | |||
3 | |||
Washington | |||
$104,098 | |||
116.0 | |||
4 | |||
New Jersey | |||
$102,505 | |||
113.9 | |||
5 | |||
Texas | |||
$101,952 | |||
92.7 | |||
6 | |||
North Carolina | |||
$101,778 | |||
95.3 | |||
7 | |||
Connecticut | |||
$100,416 | |||
112.8 | |||
8 | |||
Colorado | |||
$99,092 | |||
105.1 | |||
9 | |||
Massachusetts | |||
$98,522 | |||
146.5 | |||
ten | |||
Virginia | |||
$96,393 | |||
101.9 | |||
11 | |||
Maryland | |||
$95,450 | |||
116.5 | |||
12 | |||
Georgia | |||
$94,678 | |||
90.8 | |||
13 | |||
Pennsylvania | |||
$94,018 | |||
95.6 | |||
14 | |||
Alabama | |||
$93,792 | |||
88.3 | |||
15 | |||
Illinois | |||
$93,687 | |||
92.1 | |||
16 | |||
Rhode Island | |||
$93,149 | |||
110.7 | |||
17 | |||
Missouri | |||
$92,909 | |||
88.5 | |||
18 | |||
Louisiana | |||
$92,828 | |||
91.0 | |||
19 | |||
Delaware | |||
$92,542 | |||
101.1 | |||
20 | |||
Nevada | |||
$92,423 | |||
101.0 | |||
21 | |||
Wisconsin | |||
$92,289 | |||
95.1 | |||
22 | |||
Oregon | |||
$92,232 | |||
114.7 | |||
23 | |||
Tennessee | |||
$91,801 | |||
90.3 | |||
24 | |||
Caroline from the south | |||
$91,757 | |||
95.3 | |||
25 | |||
Minnesota | |||
$90,740 | |||
94.1 | |||
26 | |||
Michigan | |||
$89,299 | |||
90.6 | |||
27 | |||
Arizona | |||
$88,757 | |||
108.4 | |||
28 | |||
New Hampshire | |||
$87,419 | |||
114.1 | |||
29 | |||
Mississippi | |||
$87,352 | |||
86.3 | |||
30 | |||
Alaska | |||
$86,718 | |||
125.2 | |||
31 | |||
Utah | |||
$86,599 | |||
103.2 | |||
32 | |||
Wyoming | |||
$86,264 | |||
92.4 | |||
33 | |||
Indiana | |||
$85,430 | |||
91.0 | |||
34 | |||
Arkansas | |||
$85,041 | |||
89.0 | |||
35 | |||
Oklahoma | |||
$84,708 | |||
86.2 | |||
36 | |||
Ohio | |||
$84,576 | |||
94.7 | |||
37 | |||
Nebraska | |||
$83,903 | |||
90.9 | |||
38 | |||
Florida | |||
$82,647 | |||
100.7 | |||
39 | |||
Iowa | |||
$82,390 | |||
90.3 | |||
40 | |||
Idaho | |||
$82,192 | |||
98.6 | |||
41 | |||
Maine | |||
$82,143 | |||
109.9 | |||
42 | |||
Kentucky | |||
$81,213 | |||
92.0 | |||
43 | |||
West Virginia | |||
$80,225 | |||
87.7 | |||
44 | |||
Hawaii | |||
$80,216 | |||
180.3 | |||
45 | |||
Kansas | |||
$79,730 | |||
87.1 | |||
46 | |||
Montana | |||
$79,221 | |||
102.9 | |||
47 | |||
North Dakota | |||
$78,936 | |||
94.6 | |||
48 | |||
South Dakota | |||
$78,714 | |||
92.4 | |||
49 | |||
Vermont | |||
$78,546 | |||
115.3 | |||
50 | |||
Washington, D.C. | |||
$75,870 | |||
146.8 | |||
51 | |||
New Mexico | |||
$72,922 | |||
94.0 |
Takeaways
In states with a strong tech presence, like California, Washington, and New York, you can earn more than $104,000 per year as a business intelligence analyst. The lowest salary for a BI analyst is in New Mexico, where the state average is around $72,000 per year.
Salary negotiation is not only encouraged: companies expect it and often budget for it. That’s why Thelander suggests looking not only at overall compensation averages, but also at the 25th, 50th and 75th percentiles. Put yourself in the company’s shoes: “See where they’re looking at you career-wise and what skills you bring to the table,” she says, adding that high performers or people who specialize in a niche can get a salary higher than that. which is typical for your location or title.